Category: Life

TCM Remembers Entertainers We Lost in 2013

I caught Turner Classic Movies‘ moving “Remembers” video of some of the entertainers and artists we lost in 2013. While most of us remember the big name losses like Peter O’Toole, what stands out in the video are all of the familiar faces of less-famous stars. I forgot or did not know the names of some of these folks, but I do remember their wonderful work. Seeing so many recognizable folks who passed on reminds us how fragile life is.

The powerful song in the video is “In the Embers” by Sleeping At Last, which is a project of a musician named Ryan O’Neal. The song is from the album Atlas: Light (2013). The lyrics “We live and we die/ Like fireworks; / Our legacies hide/ In the embers” are haunting, as is the music. Have a safe and happy new year.

What is your favorite part of the year ending? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    One Secret to Happiness: Gratitude

    Gratitude In the 1600s, French author François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld wrote, “The gratitude of most men is merely a secret desire to receive greater benefits.” (Reflections, or, Sentences and Moral Maxims 298 (1678)). While the maxim implies some type of dishonesty, La Rochefoucauld might have been surprised to learn that one’s gratitude reaps some more unexpected benefits.

    In the video “The Science of Happiness – An Experiment in Gratitude,” SoulPancake presents the result of a study finding that one way to increase happiness is to show gratitude. The video explains how expressing gratitude benefits us, and then it shows a real life experiment that is both interesting and touching. Check it out. You can thank me later.

    YouTube also has a behind-the-scenes look at this video as well as a sequel “The Science of Happiness – A Study of Cute Aggression.” In the meantime, like Alanis Morrisette at this 1999 performance in Rome, NY, remember to show your gratitude and say “Thank U.” It is good for you.

    Alanis Morrisette reportedly wrote “Thank U” out of a personal experience after visiting India. She began looking inside herself in a different way, finding compassion for her self and gratitude toward others. Although the song touches on ideas of “terror” and “frailty,” it is ultimately a hopeful song about learning and thankfulness. And as found in the new study, a nice reminder to show gratitude as a small step toward increasing happiness.

    Thanks to Carolyn for pointing me to the SoulPancake video.

    Photo via public domain.

    Do you think expressing gratitude makes you happier? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Is Chipotle’s “The Scarecrow” Pure Imagination?

    chipotle animated commercial

    Like its earlier animated ad featuring Willie Nelson singing a Coldplay song, the restaurant chain Chipotle‘s new ad uses animation and music to attack the evils of factory farming. Of course, they do so in the context of highlighting their own commitment to fresh food.

    The new ad, “The Scarecrow,” features a factory-employed scarecrow discovering a new way of living, set to Fiona Apple singing “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). The short film was co-directed by Brandon Oldenburg and Limbert Fabian and created by Moonbot Studios. Check it out.

    The ad, which also has a tie-in phone app game, is getting a lot of attention. Salon argues that the ad featuring the vegan Fiona Apple is not just anti-farming but anti-meat. Others like AdWeek are praising the Chipotle ad, saying it is “magic.”

    Funny or Die takes another approach with its parody of “The Scarecrow.” The new words to the song argue that the original ad is not pure imagination but “pure manipulation.”


    What do you think of “The Scarecrow” and the parody? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    How to Tie Your Shoelaces

    shoelaces better way to tie

    Look at your shoes. Do your shoelaces come untied periodically? Are your bows straight across the top of the shoe as they should be — like the shoe on the right — or do they end up aimed down the length of your shoe — like the shoe on the left? I recently ran across a three-minute video on Netflix from TED about how to tie your shoe. Intrigued, I figured it was worth three minutes. In the short video, Terry Moore explains how you likely have been tying your shoe wrong all these years.

    While Moore explains the problem quite well, it took me several viewings to figure out how I should adapt my shoe-tying style. For me, it was a matter of looping the opposite direction around my finger instead of my thumb. If you are still not quite seeing it, here is another video that explains a little more how you might make the adjustment to tying the superior reef knot instead of that granny knot your parents taught you. [2016 Update: A previously posted video from from Runner’s World is no longer available.]

    In defense of your parents, the granny knot probably is easier for little kid fingers. But I am upset about all those years I wasted having to retie my shoes after they came undone. Now, if you tie your shoes correctly, you can use that extra time for for your favorite activities, including reading Chimesfreedom.

    How do you tie your shoes? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Happy Earth Day: The Earth Rolls On

    Billy Joe Shaver The Earth Rolls On Happy Earth Day, which started in 1970 as a day to spread education about and support for our environment. Today, the day is celebrated around the world, reminding us of our common interest in the earth and the environment.

    During the same month as Earth Day in 2001, Shaver released the album, The Earth Rolls On (2001). On first look, the album has nothing to do with Earth Day. Shaver was a collaboration between country legend Billy Joe Shaver and his son Eddy Shaver, who played some mean guitar. My favorite song on the album is the wonderful title track that closes the album, “The Earth Rolls On,” where Billy Joe Shaver sings “The earth rolls on/Even though you’re gone/The earth rolls on, and on, and on. . . .” So the song is really about loss.

    The song carries a heavy weight for Billy Joe Shaver. He wrote the song about losing his wife Brenda, who passed away from a lenghty illness in 1999 (Shaver had divorced her twice but married her three times). His son Eddy, who plays guitar on the album, passed away suddenly from an accidental drug overdose in December 2000. Although that is Eddy’s guitar wailing at the end of “The Earth Rolls On,” one can almost hear in that incredible solo that he foresaw the pain his father felt not only of Brenda’s death but what a father would feel in losing his son.

    So, in addition to the title, “The Earth Rolls On” is a perfect song for Earth Day. It is about how fragile life is and how we have to cherish and take care of what we have while we have it because everything is temporary. May you celebrate the earth and your loved ones today and every day this year.

    What is your favorite song about the earth? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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